


Ch.7

by OasisLake76



Series: Chat fic [11]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, IVE CRIED LIVE, Papa!Kukui, S E V E R A L TIMES, The girls are CRYING, are you afraid of me yet God?, haha - Freeform, hi yes, im sorry, its here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-28
Updated: 2020-01-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:01:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22453078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OasisLake76/pseuds/OasisLake76
Summary: “I’m so sorry.” Kukui whispered, the hand grasping Ash’s chin slid up to cup his face.“I’m so sorry!” Ash blurted out, his tears finally bubbling over and slid down his cheeks.
Relationships: Kukui-hakase | Professor Kukui & Satoshi | Ash Ketchum
Series: Chat fic [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1512587
Comments: 7
Kudos: 116





	Ch.7

**Author's Note:**

> Uploaded again, kinda, because the italicizes didn’t show up the first time.

Ash had made sure to carefully clean the house like how both the Professors taught him. Making sure most of his Pokémon were away as well and had a  _ very  _ long talk with both Rotom and Pikachu and how they need to be out of the house when it comes time when the Professor comes back home from their flight back from Unova.

Rotom has complained, he wanted to know about all the cool Unovian Pokémon the two adults got to see. But Ash was  _ firm _ , firmer than he ever remembered being in the past few  _ years.  _ Rotom still complained and whined, acting like a two year old that wasn’t getting their way. 

Ash had felt guilty when he reminded Rotom that he was supposed to listen to  _ Ash.  _ And that Ash had  _ ordered  _ him not to bombard the two Professors. 

Luckily, or in this case unlucky for Ash, Professor Burnet was stopping by her work at the Aether Paradise for a few hours before coming home. So that meant Professor Kukui and Ash were going to be alone in the house… 

_ Yay.  _

Ash tried to school his expression, reminding himself this was just like an other stupid PR event Lance or Drake dragged him to.  _ Yet it also wasn’t.  _ Ash didn’t even know why he was so worked up about this! He only  _ accidentally  _ swallowed a mouth of shampoo! There’s  _ nothing wrong!  _

_ Yes there is,  _ his mind whispered.  _ The Professor won’t trust you know because of how dumb you are! _ Ash tried to keep the sneering, traitorous, voice at bay. Absolutely not listening to the door jingle and open. 

“I’m home!” Kukui’s voice rang out, and it took all of Ash’s self control not to leap up into the air with a screech and race up to the loft for safety. Not like that would actively  _ do  _ anything since Kukui would just follow Ash up there and wonder what in the bed loving  _ fuck  _ has Ash all riled up. 

“W-welcome ho-home!” Ash called back, wincing when his voice audible cracked. Turning to look at the Professor, though not at his eyes or glasses. Ash can’t do that yet, the feeling of utter shame still rolling down his spine. 

Kukui’s eyes didn’t immediately go to Ash, instead it was drawn around the house and how  _ clean  _ it is. No dust was seeable on any nearby surface, the floors look like they’ve been dusted then mopped, and the kitchen from what Kukui could tell was fully restocked. 

Kukui’s silence made Ash fidget even worse. Anxiety spiking and he can already feel the tears bubbling up.  _ Gods _ , Ash is still such a fucking  _ crybaby.  _

“I didn’t touch your lab, or your room, Professor.” Ash mumbled, turning his head away when Kukui finally set his eyes on Ash. It was too much, just too much. 

Kukui sat there even longer, taking in Ash’s near crying state with wide guilty eyes. Just one comment of his on that stupid little chat had brought Ash’s whole happy-go-lucky attitude crashing down. And it doesn’t even seem like it was just from that  _ one  _ comment. 

Ash’s hands were starting to shake, he clenched them together behind his back to keep them steady. Not like it did any good, but he was trying. Ash wasn’t prepared for the large heavy hand to land on his shoulder, another came and gently grasped his chin so he was forced to look up into the Professors eyes. Kukui must have set his glasses somewhere, because there was nothing blocking the Professors eyes. 

His jaw worked uncomfortably, grinding his teeth together and his fangs stabbing at his tongue a little from how nervous he is. Ash can just feel his flight or fight instincts kicking on and for the first time in a long time, Ash wants to  _ run.  _

Kukui was absolutely killing himself on the inside. He had caused Ash  _ all  _ this grief right now, and just because Ash accidentally swallowed a mouth of  _ shampoo  _ when he was tired at two in the  _ morning.  _

“I’m so  _ sorry.” _ Kukui whispered, the hand grasping Ash’s chin slid up to cup his face.

“I’m  _ so _ sorry!” Ash blurted out, his tears finally bubbling over and slid down his cheeks. 

Both froze, the only noise was Ash’s shaky breathing in the quiet house. A bird Pokémon tweeted out the window before taking flight, the tank bubbles from pushing fresh air into the water. 

Sighing, Kukui gently got to one knee. So now he was looking up at Ash instead of the other way around. “Why are you sorry?” Kukui asked with a soft voice. Deftly remembering Delia’s request of letting Ash find his words instead of pushing her son too much. 

_ “Expressiveness has been hard for Ash.” Delia chuckles lightly, it was a depressing kind that made Kukui want to reach out and rub her shoulder but he refrained himself because now was not the time. “He’s fine expressing how  _ happy  _ and  _ excited  _ he is. But harder emotions like sadness and guilt will eat him away before he even wants to share them because he just… doesn’t know  _ how  _ in his mind.”  _

_ Her face grimaced, looking away from the Professor and took a few deep breaths before face omg back forward. “I’ve tried teaching him its  _ okay  _ to feel sad and angry. But he chooses to shove those emotions down for the sake of others liking him. Ash did that a lot during middle school because everyone bullied him for some reason that I could never get out of both Ash and Gary, his childhood friend.”  _

Kukui settled down on his knee a little better and looked back up to Ash. The other was opening and closing his mouth like a gaping fish Pokémon. So the Professor waited, he waited as Ash started flapping his hands and more tears rolled down his cheeks, he waited for five solid minutes until he couldn’t take the abundance of tears. 

His hand grasping Ash’s shoulder moved to cup the other side of Ash’s face. Both of his thumbs tried to wipe away the younger adults' tears. 

“I… I… I,” Ash sputtered, leaning a bit away from the touch. Kukui didn’t move though, determined to let Ash know he was here. 

_ “I’m here,”  _ Kukui breathed, barely above the whispering breeze that whipped through the home from the opened window in the living room, “I’m here and I’m  _ not leaving.” _

The next second he had a fully sobbing Ash sinking down to the floor. Kukui scrambled to pull Ash into his lap, both falling a little from Kukui’s position. But that was  _ okay,  _ because Ash needs him more than anything right now. 

“ _ I’m sorry!”  _ Ash sobbed into Kukui’s lab coat. Turning to look away from the Professors soft and kind gaze,  _ it’s too much _ for Ash to handle at the moment in time. _ “I’m so sorry!”  _

Kukui shushed him, rocking them both back and forth. Silently cursing himself from not using a different set of words in the text he sent to the group chat, maybe if he didn’t Ash wouldn’t be like this. 

“Why are you sorry?” The Alolan Professor tried again, tried to weasel out whatever was affecting Aha because it just  _ couldn’t  _ be from the text. “Why are you sorry, Ash?” 

“Be…  _ because _ ,” Ash tried stiflingly his sobs, but Kukui’s tutted softly and let go go Ash’s cheeks so he could pull the younger's hands away from his face. 

“C’mon, Ash.” The Professor whispered in encouragement. Rocking the two back and forth on the floor a little harder. “I’m right here. You can tell me.” 

_ “Because you're just so good!”  _ Ash blurted out, eyes closed tight. Soon enough everything spilled; how Ash saw Kukui stay up late at night for days in a row to help teach himself about ADD and ADHD even more; how Kukui didn’t bother asking Ash why he constantly kept Pikachu and his team out at all lost all time of the day; how Ash saw him as a father figure he never really had in his life because how often Kukui went out of his way for the young adult. 

Ash spilled  _ everything  _ that he noticed and was building up in his veins. How Kukui’s food comment struck Ash in a sensitive spot, or the weird constipated look he got after Ash won against Kahuna Hala. Just…  _ everything.  _

Kukui just said there, wide eyed as Ash struggled through his words but was still able to shove his point across pretty hard and blatantly. He had  _ no idea  _ Ash was feeling like this, and how easily he picked up on Kukui’s little thinking moment or when a particular bad thought passed his mind. And all that  _ that  _ was pushing Ash down a path Kukui never wanted to do. 

“And  _ I-“  _ The young adults’ voice cracked once more during his speech that was slowly winding down, “I don’t know how to  _ thank you.”  _

Kukui felt his own tears spilling, every instinct tearing up and  _ demanding  _ that Kukui makes this situation better. Make Ash  _ happier.  _ “Oh,  _ Ash,” _ the older man breathed. 

A watery chuckle escaped Ash’s lips, self deprecating and filled with sorrow, “yeah, I know.” A sneer tugged at his lips. “I’m  _ pathetic-Oof!”  _

Kukui had tugged Ash back down in a very tight hug. The Professor squishing his face into Ash’s tears to hide his own sobs. “Don’t you  _ ever  _ say that about yourself  _ again!”  _ Kukui snarled. 

“You are an  _ amazing  _ trainer and an even more  _ wonderful  _ border I’ve ever had the privilege to teach,” his voice was wavering, but Kukui couldn’t care less because he just  _ needed  _ Ash to hear this for himself, “you bring  _ so _ much  _ life _ and  _ light _ wherever you go, you brought  _ warmth _ into this household Ash. You fit so perfectly into my class _ -with _ the class. It just makes me stop and think, because of just how  _ lucky  _ I am you’re here in Alola and under my roof.” 

Ash continued to sob heavily into the Professor's lab coat. But Kukui doesn’t care, he pulls Ash tighter into the hug and sits there. 

“I’m here, and I’m not leaving. Ash.” Kukui murmured into Ash’s hair, planting small kisses before tucking his chin over Ash’s head. Content to just let his border cry it all out before suggesting to go out and eat at Mallows. 


End file.
